Coca-Cola India is getting ready for a shift in strategy keeping in line with its global initiatives. The company that sells a bevy of sugary carbonated beverages here, including Thums Up, Coke, Limca and Sprite, has embarked on an exercise to align itself to changing consumer preferences.

At present, around 65% of Coca-Cola India's sales come from fizzy drinks, while the rest comes from still beverages such as Maaza, Minute Maid and others. But the company that was once obsessed with pushing colas, has decided to widen its portfolio of low-sugar drinks, since consumers are opting for healthier beverages.

"We are going to be a consumer centric beverage company. We will satisfy a consumer's beverage needs, based on his or her preference and not based on what we want to sell," Venkatesh Kini, president of Coca-Cola India and South West Asia, told TOI. "Ten years from now if product 'A' is my largest selling product, I am fine as long as that is what consumers want. We will go with the consumer."

This signals a big milestone for the Atlanta-based beverage company that has been present in India since 1993, depending on its best-selling products such as Thums Up and Sprite (both market leaders in their categories). However, business for the Rs 14,000 crore soft-drink category has been rocky lately.

"Last two or three years have seen a number of things that are unusual and unique," said Kini. "Rural demand declined on bad monsoons; excise taxes have gone up by 80%; in some states VAT has gone up by 50-100%. So, that caused us to increase prices. Demonetisation is the latest factor."